


Polychromatic Pansies and White Tulips

by versutiloquent



Category: SHINee
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 20:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9921206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/versutiloquent/pseuds/versutiloquent
Summary: Jinki works in a coffee shop and he has his eyes for only for a single customer. His heart and mind follows then.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted on Asianfanfics and LiveJournal under the same username.

 

“Here’s your coffee, sir. Enjoy.”

  
For the sixth time this week, Jinki serves the same type of coffee to the seemingly new regular customer. A charming smile embellishes his face as his cautious hand sets the saucer holding the cup of coffee on the table. The customer just watches him, still as silent as ever. Jinki pulls his hand back then bows his head, but like the previous days, he does not receive any sort of response from the young man. Jinki shrugs it off yet again and lets out a soft sigh as he walks back to the counter, reuniting with his workplace.

  
It has been six consecutive days since that particular man entered past the glass door of the small coffee shop. From then on, he visits the shop to have a cup of coffee. Jinki freshly remembers his first encounter with him. Jinki’s co-worker was busy at that time so he had no other options but to attend to the male. He usually attends to female customers, especially the teenage girls, and he leaves the others to his working partner. His partner calls him biased because of this, but Jinki just laughs it off. He sees it as a marketing strategy, a clever tactic to gain extra profit. Jinki knows that he is attractive, and his cognizance adds up to his charm. A few words of flattery and a little bit of flirting to the opposite sex pay off as a small tip at most times. He receives bigger tips in times of luck, or if the customer is just inherently generous. At the end of each day, Jinki splits the collected tip and earnestly gives his partner an equal share. It has been a habit of his. Jinki is not a selfish man after all.

  
Jinki leans back on the cold wall as he rests his gaze at the empty doorway. He still remembers how the man took small, reluctant steps with his head hanging low as he approached the counter. Jinki greeted him with his usual smile that had girls and women alike swooning at their feet. The new customer slightly lifted his head up and Jinki’s smile almost faltered as he was greeted by the young male’s dejected look. Jinki managed to keep his cheery smile as he spoke with a more jovial tone with hopes of elevating the man’s mood even at the slightest. It saddened him a bit on the inside when it did not have any effect on the customer. The man told Jinki his order in a voice so soft and monotonous that Jinki had to ask the man to repeat his order. Jinki took the customer’s money as soon as it was handed to him and gave him his change right after. It was two thousand and eight hundred won, Jinki recalls perfectly.

  
It has been six consecutive days since Jinki had laid his eyes on this man. Jinki averts his gaze to the farthest table on his right, settling his eyes on the only customer for this hour. Jinki notes to himself that it has been the sixth time that the young male sat on that isolated table and assumes it is his favorite spot. Is he one of those anti-social type of people, or perhaps he is simply an introvert? It is not the coziest place inside the shop; Jinki tells himself.

  
Jinki lets his eyes linger on the man’s back and he skims his eyes on the male’s sitting frame, observing him. Jinki thinks that he has a long, thin neck, narrow shoulders, slim arms and an ostensibly small body. He always sits with his back turned at everybody and everything, and it irritates Jinki so much. Jinki feels a sudden desire in him to study the young man’s face and to remember even at least a few features that would set him apart from everybody else. He was always looking down, his long blonde fringes concealing most of his face. Jinki feels deprived of the chance to take a good look at the man’s face and Jinki never had issues with hair until this moment. He has this strong urge to grab the nearest pair of scissors and sever those bothersome fringes for self-satisfaction.

  
Jinki starts patching random facial features together as he tries to imagine what he looked like. Jinki never got to stare at his face long enough. Are his eyes dark brown? Jinki wishes that the man had hazel eyes. He finds hazel eyes very beautiful and enticing. Does he have huge mole on his face? Jinki chuckles at the thought. Are his eyebrows bushy or perfectly maintained? Is his nose small? Are his lips full and plump? Does he have a sharp jaw line? Does he have a masculine face or does it exude femininity? What does he look like when he smiles? Jinki presses his lips together and lets out a heavy sigh.

  
Another six days has passed and Jinki still catches himself staring at the same man. Jinki cannot fathom why he feels drawn to him, of all people. His partner catches him unexpectedly in the act and Jinki starts being defensive despite the embarrassment. Jinki cannot believe that someone actually caught him. What made it worse is that it was his working partner. Jinki was caught staring at a man, by another man. Since then, he had to deal with frivolous banters and suggestive gestures from his partner whenever that particular man comes to the coffee shop. Jinki chooses to brush it all aside.

  
One of those days, the man comes to the coffee shop with a thick book at hand. Judging by the thickness of the book, Jinki immediately infers that the man was probably a geeky bookworm. He starts contemplating about the genre. Is he into romance stories or does he prefers science fiction? Do mystery stories captivate him as well? Jinki subtly cranes his head to every side while tilting his head in different angles and he tries to be subtle as possible. There were other customers in the shop and he do not want make himself look ridiculous. The man looks so engrossed in reading, his eyes never leaving the page. Jinki notices the man lifting his hand. Jinki’s gaze drops to the man’s hand as it gropes for the cup’s handle and he quickly retracts his hand as he almost knocked it over. Jinki finds the sight adorable.

  
The next day, the same man comes into the coffee shop carrying a large sketchpad and a black pouch. Jinki furrows his eyebrows in confusion. Perhaps he is not a bookworm after all. He might be an artist, or a Fine Arts student. Jinki thinks that he could be both a bookworm and an artist. That would be actually nice. Jinki proceeds to serving the man his coffee and upon setting it down, he takes a quick glance on the sketchpad. It was a drawing of a woman.

  
“It looks wonderful, sir.” A compliment rolls out of Jinki’s tongue on its own accord. Jinki realizes that he was already scrutinizing the work though he knew nothing about art. It was a remarkable display of his craft. Jinki concludes that a compliment was due, indeed. The man responds with only a small nod. Jinki consoles himself by brightening his perspective. At least he was not ignored and that was good enough for him.

  
Two weeks has slipped away and not a single notable change ameliorated the situation. His feet remain stationary and his back still rests on the same chestnut wall as his eyes grow more inquisitive and his perturbed mind is crammed with more thoughts. This man has taken over Jinki’s mind effortlessly and Jinki cannot figure out how it happened. All he ever did was walk through that damned door and order a cup of caffe macchiato. How can trivial acts have such an effect on him?

  
Jinki spends so much time thinking about why he only orders a cup of caffe macchiato. It is not as if they only serve caffe macchiato. Jinki offered him every product on their menu. Why is it that he does not want try the others? Does this relate to his personality somehow? He is itching to discover the reason behind it. Jinki sees him coming past the door and he is more than determined to raise the question once the man approaches the counter. As soon as the man utters his typical order, every iota of courage in Jinki’s system is drained out. After the usual routine, the man walks to his beloved table. Jinki’s thick eyebrows crinkle as he groans inwardly in chagrin. When did he turn pusillanimous?

  
Jinki convinces himself to be more valiant. He has to be one if he seeks answers for all the questions messing up with his mind. What is his name? Is it common or unique? How old is he? Is he older than Jinki or younger than he is? How big is their age gap? Does he go to work or is he still studying? Does he belong to a well-off family? What are his preferences? Is he into Western music? Does he enjoy pop songs or is he secretly inclined to metal? What are his favorite pastimes? Is he a bookworm like what Jinki thought? What are his favorite things to draw? Is he physically active? Is he a frequent visitor of one of the gyms in this city? What kind of friends does he have? Is he the group’s jester or does he prefer watching everybody else? Has he been involved in a romantic relationship? Does he have a dominant streak or is he more of a pushover? Does he have a girlfriend right now? Is he even straight? The inundating thoughts abruptly desist as a woman, a frequent customer, snaps her long fingers in front of Jinki’s musing face. Jinki blinks out of his thoughts and returns to his senses as he says his apologies.  
  
Twenty-two days after their first meeting, Jinki begins formulating plans on how he can start a conversation with the man. Jinki thinks of randomly serving a croissant, or a slice of pie. He will say that it is a special promo of the coffee shop. It could be something like; whoever orders at this particular hour is entitled to receive a free pastry. After a few seconds, Jinki immediately dismisses that thought and shakes his head. Carrying out that plan would cost him and he cannot afford that for he is saving up for his mother’s birthday gift. He tries to come up with another plan, and he mentally hits himself when he selects the most ridiculous idea that crossed his mind.  
  
Jinki brought the mop out of the utility closet with an eager hand and he almost forgets to close the door. He leaves the confines of the counter and starts cleaning the area in front of the counter. He tries to act as natural as possible while he pushes and pulls the thick handle at a varied rhythm. He pretends to mop a particular area repeatedly as if trying to remove nasty dirt sticking to the floor. Jinki casually makes his way towards the man’s table while he furtively glances at him several times. His strong hands are becoming damp against the cool metal of the handle as he moves closer to the man. Jinki takes a deep breath then he takes a step forward. He can hear his heart pounding as he stands at a distance equivalent to an arm’s length away from the man. He swallows nervously and resumes mopping, his grip tightening on the handle. He steals another glance at the man. The young male was working on something that seemed like a school paper. Jinki sees him place his pen down and massage his tired hand with his idle hand. Jinki holds the mop closet to him while taking one last deep breath while gently rocking himself on his feet. He stretches his full lips into the best smile he can muster, feeling confidence flow through him. Jinki feels that he is ready so he advances towards the busy man at once. Jinki’s eyes transfix on the man and he is too enthusiastic to start conversing that he did not notice his foot being tangled on the thick yarn strings of the mop. Jinki loses his balance and stumbles forward inevitably, causing the man to abandon his work and to jerk back on his chair in sheer surprise. Jinki grabs onto the edge of the table to steady himself, making the table quiver in the process. Jinki knocks the cup of coffee over and the brown liquid gushes out aimlessly. Jinki widens his eyes in horror as the spilled coffee reach the neat papers and ruin most of it without mercy. Jinki stands up straight and Jinki hits himself for real this time, his palm meeting his forehead with a resounding slap. Jinki bows repeatedly as strings of fervent apologies leaves his lips. Immense guilt overcomes Jinki’s entire self as he sees the devastated look on the man’s face. Jinki is aware that he has caused a scene, and the mélange of guilt and abashment makes him beg for the earth beneath him to swallow him out of this horrible situation. He does not have to feign cleaning anymore.

  
Jinki exasperatedly throws the cleaning rug against the surface of the man’s table. He frowns for the umpteenth time as he remembers the incident earlier. Jinki hates himself for looking like an absolute fool. What a great way to make an impression. Jinki shakes his head as if it would eradicate the memory. He holds the rug once more and scrubs the table with added pressure, concentrating on his work. The guilt feeling is seizing him again. Jinki stops and decides that he is finally done for the night. He departs from the coffee shop, hoping that it will all be good tomorrow as he securely locks the door.

  
The man’s presence does not grace the coffee shop for the two succeeding days and Jinki is consumed with much worry. He tries to drive all the horrid assumptions out of his mind and keep only the positive thoughts. Jinki assumes that he is just busy and he has no available time to while in the coffee shop. Jinki waits for him though. His heart swells with hope whenever the sweet sound of the bell reaches his ears and someone enters the coffee shop, but Jinki gets disappointed each time. His partner points out that he is out of himself. Jinki denies his remark and lies that he feels completely normal. He lets a soft sigh of relief flow out of his lips when his partner finally drops the matter from his concerns and leaves him alone.

  
Another day is about to pass but the man is still nowhere to be seen. Jinki keeps an eye on the people passing by the coffee shop, expecting to recognize the man’s familiar stature. Jinki is finding it hard to concentrate on other things. During the morning, he gave an old woman an extra seven won for her change then he served a cup of caffe macchiato to a buff man who asked for a caffe americano. At midday, he washed his hands and forgot to turn off the faucet. Half an hour ago, a teenage boy asked for a napkin and he mindlessly handed him a dirty rug. Jinki runs both of his hands through his auburn hair before pressing one hand against the wall and cupping his hipbone with the other. He lowers his gaze to the marble floor and slowly breathes air out of his nostrils in an attempt to relax himself. He scolds himself for acting foolishly these past three days and neglecting his work. Jinki lets out a sarcastic chuckle as he grasps the absurdity of it all.  
  
Jinki heads to the washroom to freshen up. He turns the faucet on and leans toward the basin as he cups his hands together to collect water. He splashes the water against his face, and repeats it again thrice. He presses his hand on both sides of the basin and curls his fingers on the round edges as he takes a breath. He flutters his eyes open and lifts him head up simultaneously. He stares at himself through the mirror, ignoring the droplets of water racing down his face. At that moment, Jinki compels himself that this petty infatuation for the man has to end.

  
Hours passed fluidly as customers come and go. Jinki manages to curve his lips into its usual handsome smile for the entire day. Jinki fights back the pathetic hope stirring inside him throughout the day as customers enter the shop. Jinki succeeds marginally, but he says to himself that it is better than having no progression at all.

  
Thirty minutes before closing time and the coffee shop is already deserted. His partner left him alone two hours ago, saying he has a date tonight, so Jinki is now in charge of everything. Jinki cannot wait to spend his Friday night by making love to his very own bed. Jinki twirls the key metal ring around his index finger then he hums his favorite song as he scurries to the corner of the wall bearing the light switches. He extends his arm towards the first switch and as his finger was about to flick the switch off, the sound of a ringing bell pierces through the enveloping silence inside the shop.

  
“Hello?”  
  
Jinki recoils his hand away from the switch at once. He rushes back to the counter with an evident frown and grumbles vibrating against his lips. Jinki stops dead on his tracks as he arrives at the counter. He stares at the man standing by the door. It is him, and he is utterly stunned.  
  
“You’re not yet closing, are you? If you are, then I could just—“

  
“N-No, it’s okay. The place— The place is still open.” Jinki hears himself stutter but he is too surprised to care. He stands behind the counter, his hands starting to sweat as he attends to the man that he has not seen for days.

  
“Caffe macchiato like the usual?” Jinki asks and the man nods at once. Jinki presses a few buttons on the cash register while the man sets his down on the flat surface of the counter. Jinki takes the money and places it inside the money drawer immediately with shaking hands. “I’ll serve it in two minutes.” Jinki tells him and he watches the man walking away to reunite with his favorite place.

  
Jinki’s begins to make the coffee while his mind is troubled once again. He is back. He is finally here after almost three days of disappearing and he heard the man spoke casually. The mumbling was gone and he was holding his head high as words left his lips. Jinki pours the espresso into the cup followed by the steamed milk with the aid of his careful hand. He pats his cheek with his free hand as if doing a reality check. He is here. Different thoughts surge into his previously calm mind and different emotions fill his idle heart. He feels like he is played with but then he reminds himself that he does not believe in destiny.

  
Jinki stands two meters away from the man, holding the cup of caffe macchiato with both of his hands. He feels hesitant, nervous. Jinki unwillingly remembers his discreet display of clumsiness three days ago and he clenches his teeth in annoyance. After a languid minute, Jinki approaches the man and serves him his order.

  
“Your coffee, sir.” Jinki puts the coffee down then slides his hands into his back pockets. The man curls his fingers around the handle and looks at him. “Thank you.”

  
He said thank you. For the first time in twenty-five long days, the man thanked him. Jinki is suddenly overwhelmed with joy. Never did he feel so accomplished, and he knows he is exaggerating. Jinki does not even try to suppress the wide grin creeping on his face.

  
“So uhm… I haven’t seen you in awhile.” Jinki randomly says a remark and he bites his lip nervously when he realizes what he just did.

  
The man pulls his lips away from the thin rim of the cup as he lowers the cup down to the saucer. “Oh, I went to a school trip. I just got back this afternoon.”

  
Jinki cannot believe this. This man was talking to him. They are having a conversation. Jinki grins for the second time and sinks a row of teeth down his bottom lip just to prevent any sort of sound from coming out. It is an achievement and Jinki feels like jumping around. He is a twenty-five year old man, but he feels like he is back in his high school days.

  
“You seem like a happy man.” He hears the man say. Jinki thinks that it is impossible for him not to notice the huge grin on his face. There is no point in hiding it anyway.

  
“Well, it’s the first time I’ve heard you say something besides ‘a caffe macchiato’ since you first came here so I’m—“ Jinki halts the gush of words escaping his lips when he finally comprehends what he was just babbling about and embarrassment starts creeping up on him fast. “I mean— Uhh… Sir..”

  
The man lightly waves his hand at Jinki. “No, no. It’s alright, and you don’t have to call me sir.” His words relieve Jinki a little bit. “It was just that… How do I explain this…?”

  
“Oh, there’s no need to explain anything! It’s none of my business after all and—“

  
“Have you ever felt so emotionally, physically and mentally drained that you just wanted yourself out of this forsaken world and be taken somewhere else if it was humanly possible?”

  
Jinki is rendered speechless. He asks himself if he has ever been in such a situation, or something close to that. While he was in the middle of recollecting all the problems he had in his entire life, another thought emerges from Jinki’s mind. At last, Jinki understands the reason behind his crestfallen expression and reclusive aura.

  
“I guess not.” The man lets out a soft chuckle before lifting the cup to his lips once again.  
  
“Relationship problems?”

  
“Oh, no. It’s family matters. I’m not really in a relationship right now.” Those words are making Jinki’s hopes skyrocket and his heart do continuous somersaults inside his chest. Jinki sincerely hails the heavens with a silent prayer.

  
“You’re okay now, right?” Jinki asks hesitantly.

  
“Pretty much.” The man answers. “Hey, do you want to sit down? I could use some company.”  
  
As if in a daze, Jinki sits himself down on the chair opposite to the man and rests his still sweaty hands on his lap. Jinki basks on this awaited opportunity and he studies the man’s face closely. The first thing that he observes is that he looks young. He has fair skin and Jinki longed to feel it beneath his fingertips. His eyes are a rich brown, not hazel, but they are fascinating. His nose is cute, not too sharp nor too rounded. He has high cheekbones. Jinki had always thought that high cheekbones did not suit men, but this man was a living exception. Jinki’s gaze settles on the man’s lips, and he is quite entranced. His lips were a perfect bow and an alluring shade of pink. Jinki has been staring, but he was too lost in this man’s beauty to care.

  
“Are you okay? Is there… dirt on my face?”

  
The beautiful man’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he blinks back to his senses. Jinki shakes his head and a crooked smile graces his lips as he conceals his embarrassment. “No, there’s none. I was just… thinking about something.”

  
“You’re not thinking of something bad, are you?” The man lifts a questioning brow as he leans back on his seat. “If you are having such thoughts, I’d like you to know that I know Taekwondo. I would not hesitate to break your neck… or your arm.” Jinki’s eyes bulges in shock and he cannot think of any reply. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not bragging. I’m just telling you what you’re up against.”

  
“Oh, I see.” It was all Jinki could say.

  
“You don’t seem like a dangerous person. I think you’re very nice.” Jinki cannot help but admire this male’s nonchalance and jauntiness. Jinki thinks of himself as a mass of anxiety, embarrassment and bewilderment, a total opposite of him.

  
“Thank you.” Jinki says with a smile.

  
“You’re welcome!” He flashes a bright smile and to Jinki, that has to be the prettiest smile he has ever seen. Jinki continues to observe him as he takes a sip on his coffee, not minding the sudden silence between them.

  
Not long after, he breaks the glass of silence himself. “Can I ask you something?”

  
Jinki answers with an instinctive nod. “Sure, go ahead.” He adds. In a span of a second, an immense desire to impress this man sparked inside Jinki. Various potential subjects cloud his mind in just a short time. Jinki keeps himself composed and believes that he could provide a good answer.

  
“This is just a random question, okay? You don’t have to take it seriously.” The man rests his arms parallel to the edge of the table, laying a slim arm on top of the other as he leans forward “Do you know any fruit that starts with Q?”

  
Jinki falls silent. That was not what he expected. “…Cucumber?”

  
Jinki stills in confusion as a loud laughter reverberates through his ears and bounces against the walls of the shop. The man has his eyes clenched shut and his mouth hanging open while he wraps his arms around his waist. The man’s actions baffle Jinki. What is so funny? Jinki spends almost a minute adjudicating the situation but when the man’s question grew clearer and his answer rings inside his mind, Jinki brings his hands to his face and groans loudly in vexation. Jinki sarcastically congratulates himself for his stupidity. Jinki does not even know where he got that answer. How great.

  
“Oh gosh. You-- You’re a very… funny man.” The young man tells him in between hearty laughter. It must have been so hilarious for him. Jinki slides his hands lower, enough to expose his eyes, and he can see the fresh tears brimming on his eyes. His face is probably red, but Jinki smiles against his palms. He made him laugh.

  
Jinki rubs his face before dropping his hands back to his lap. “Ah gosh, that was a really stupid thing to say.”

  
The man is calming down although a few chuckles and small laughs still escape his lips. “It’s alright. I did not expect that, actually.” The young man wipes his hears with his fingers, and Jinki shortly admires those candle fingers. “I just heard that question when I passed by a bunch of freshmen. I didn’t get to hear the answer though.”

  
“I’m pretty confident that the answer is most definitely not cucumber.” Jinki states with a soft chuckle.  
  
“I’ll tell you when I find out.” Jinki repeats the man’s words in his mind and his smile grows wider at the thought of talking to him again.

  
Jinki hears a beep then he sees the man shift on his seat. He presumes that the man was taking his phone out of his pocket, and he was right. The man looks down as he checks his phone and Jinki furrows his brows in curiosity as the man slips the phone back into his pocket in a hurry and subsequently stands up from his seat in haste.

  
“I have to go now. I have fifteen minutes left before my dorm’s curfew time ends. I really don’t want to sleep outside so I have to hurry back.” Jinki’s heart sinks and before he could say something back, the man was bustling to the door. “It was fun talking to you, Jinki… That is your name, right? The one on your name tag?”

  
Jinki springs out of his seat as the man pushes the door and takes his first step out of the shop. “Wait!” Jinki calls out to him as loud as he can, and the man looks back, heeding the call.  
  
“What’s your name?”

  
“Kibum. My name is Kibum.” The man dashes out the door while Jinki remains standing. He sees the man run off and watches him until he disappears from his sight.

  
It was a brand new day and a happy smile adorns Jinki’s face ever since he woke up. The coffee shop is still empty for Jinki had just opened the shop five minutes ago. The excited rhythm of Jinki’s beating heart battles with the surrounding silence as Jinki walks to the only isolated table in the shop. Jinki reminisces about the previous night and it all still seems ethereal to him. He stands beside the table as his fingertips caress the petals of artificial rose on the porcelain vase then he removes it from the vase without hesitation. “Kibum.” Jinki utters the man’s name softly while he places a white tulip on the vase, admiring it for a good minute.

  
Jinki has been standing behind the counter just like the usual, attending to their orders and serving them with much enthusiasm. Darkness has embraced the sky but Jinki’s fervent waiting does not cease. Good things come to those who wait. Jinki believes in that. Just then, a man enters through the doorway. His lips curl into a sweet smile as he approaches the counter, and Jinki smiles back at him.

  
“Hi Kibum. A caffe macchiato?”

 


End file.
